Bridge Beliefs

Let man; then, learn the revelation of all nature and all thought to his heart; this, namely; that the highest dwells with him; that the sources of nature are in his own mind, if the sentiment of duty is there.

Ralph Waldo Emerson in his 1841 essay, The Over-soul points out a simple fact that has been mixed into the vat of religion and the end product is completely different than the ingredients. The highest as Emerson explains dwells within the consciousness of all things, but this aspect of consciousness is not higher than the consciousness we experience physically; it is another quality or region of the same consciousness.

Religion calls this quality of consciousness God. The word and the symbol of God is shaped into a form that all humans can understand. Beliefs about God change in one way or another as our core beliefs expand. We are taught to worship and fear this region of consciousness, but there is nothing to worship or fear. The rituals and traditions as well as superstitions and half-truths about God are created by us to feel God physically in some way.

The sentiment of duty that Emerson recognizes is our ability duty to allow the conscious mind to naturally sense the unity that flows through all consciousness. Our beliefs are like planets. Our ideas and thoughts orbit around our core beliefs, but just like planets some of our beliefs are hidden from our conscious mind. At some point, these invisible beliefs attached themselves to our core beliefs and help create our experiences.

When we examine our thpughts and ideas, we discover that some of energy within them can be used to bridge the gaps between beliefs. We stamp these ideas with certain characteristics that are familiar. These ideas become bridge beliefs.

Bridge beliefs contain powerful energy. We use them to alter our beliefs and create new ones. The core belief in God is one of those beliefs that is being reshaped by several bridge beliefs.